It was nice to see Michael Stern, who I hear on "The Splendid Table," write a review of one of my favorite Portland restaurants.

I'm a transplant to Oregon from Pennsylvania, so I have an affinity for East Coast food. When I found this little gem in the early 1990s, I was feeling homesick. I was a vegetarian back then, so I stuck to garlic bagels, their veggie hash, and the first and only chocolate eclairs that I've found on this coast that taste like the ones back home.

Now that I'm an omnivore, I can have their excellent Reuben sandwiches (which come with a crock of pickles!), and corned beef hash. My wife was disappointed to find out that they don't serve bacon, but a little fried pastrami does the trick. The blintzes are wonderfully sweet, and the coffee is good enough for Portland.

And, the backs of the servers' t-shirts read, "Shut Up and Eat." What could be more "New York?" And, who could ask for more?

Scorecard

"The secret of great matzoh brei (aside from lots of butter) is a proper balance between crumbled-up matzoh crackers and the eggs that bind them. You don't want it too eggy, nor should the matzoh be dry. Kornblatt's version is a very good one."
Michael Stern

"Kornblatt's is a neighborhood storefront that locals love for the food as well as for service that can range from motherly-nice to deli-counter crabby."
Michael Stern